


Phone Calls

by purgatoan



Series: 12 Days of Destiel [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, Fluff, Mentions of fist fight, Mentions of minor character's death, Professor!Dean Winchester - Freeform, a tiny bit of angst, mentions of bullying, parent!Castiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-15
Updated: 2016-12-15
Packaged: 2018-09-08 13:47:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8847406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purgatoan/pseuds/purgatoan
Summary: Claire ends up getting in trouble again, but this time Castiel won’t have to deal with her on his own. Seems like Dean Winchester, new P.E. teacher wants to help both of them.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for 12 Days of Christmas Challenge | @waywardlullabies | Day 2
> 
> Prompt: Patterned Pyjamas and Cold Days
> 
> Beta: @carry-on-my-wayward-swan on Tumblr
> 
> It’s the second out of 12 Destiel pieces I’ll be publishing daily, from December 14th to 25th, as a Christmas Celebration.

A noise disrupted Castiel from his sleep, making him curse loudly in frustration.

He must’ve drifted off at some point, even though he didn’t remember it. He was supposed to work on some documents for his job. Seemed like being a single father and working must’ve taken a toll on him as he was incredibly tired.

He reached for his phone, the source of the sound that woke him up, and answered the call, not checking the caller ID was.

“Hello?” Castiel’s voice was gruff and he cleared his throat to get rid of that.

“Castiel Novak?” the voice asked, the background was full of shouting and from all the places that came to Castiel’s mind, there was only one place that could sound like that.

The school.

Claire must’ve gotten in trouble.

“On the phone. What’s the matter?” Castiel wondered, hoping it wasn’t as bad as the last time he had gotten a call from the high school his daughter’s been attending.

Last time, Claire managed to call kids in her class every awful name she could think of, because they were laughing at her for some reason.

He didn’t blame her, though. Her mother, Amelia, died in a car accident a few years ago. That changed Claire and made her more reserved and guarded. Castiel was on good terms with his daughter, but he wasn’t Amelia. He didn’t know the girl as well as his wife did and it still didn’t change, even though so many years had already passed.

He would give everything to strengthen the bond between him and his daughter.

“My name’s Dean Winchester and I’m Claire’s new P. E. teacher. I’m calling to inform you of the fact that Claire got in a fight with one of her peers today during our lesson,” the man said matter-of-factly, but he didn’t seem irritated or angry like most of the teachers Castiel had had to deal with in the past.

“I see. I assume you’re calling, because you want me to come for her and talk about it with you, Mr. Winchester,” Castiel sighed, getting up from the bed and changing from his bee-patterned pyjamas into his only suit and a dress shirt, managing to keep the phone by his ear the whole time, even when he put a tie around his neck.

“That’s true. It’d be an ideal option, but Claire said you are a single father, Mr. Novak, so if it’s interfering with anything, we could schedule a talk with your daughter on some different day,” the teacher’s voice was full of something Castiel hadn’t heard for a long time. Understanding and kindness, that’s what this person radiated with.

“No, it’s fine. I can come to school right now, Mr. Winchester,” he answered, taking a look at himself in the mirror as he passed the wardrobe and entered the hall. His clothes were a bit wrinkled as he didn’t have time to iron them, his hair was ruffled, but it wasn’t that bad, so he grabbed the keys, slid the trenchcoat on, and got out of the house.

“Perfect. I will wait with Claire in the teacher’s room,” Mr. Winchester said and Castiel nodded, even though he knew that the man couldn’t see him.

“Of course. I’ll be at school as soon as possible,” Castiel responded as he hung up and closed the door. He ran to his car, because he didn’t want to be out in the open for longer than necessary. The wind and snow were making him feel like he was living in Alaska; it was so cold outside that his fingers turned numb almost immediately.

He opened the door and slid inside, cursing as the pick-up’s engine didn’t want to start right away. After some struggle, it came back to life with a loud roar, making Castiel exhale loudly in relief.

The drive to school didn’t take long and, before he knew it, he was already inside, trying to find the teacher’s room in an enormous building.

After some pointers from weirdly polite teenagers, he managed to find himself right outside that room, his hand resting on the doorknob.

Castiel knocked on the door first and after a kind, “Come in!” he twisted the doorknob, opening the door slowly. His sight fell on his daughter, sprawled out on the small couch, then slid over to the man sitting in front of the desk that was situated opposite to the door.

It turned out that the man was incredibly handsome.

“Mr. Winchester, I assume?” Castiel wondered, crossing the room in a few strides and extending his hand toward the man, trying to stop himself from staring at the full lips that were now stretched into a perfect smile, those dazzling green orbs, splattered with gold flecks or freckles scattering those flawless cheeks and nose.

He shouldn’t be thinking about it in that moment. This man was Claire’s teacher, not someone that Castiel was free to admire or flirt with.

Did he really just think about flirting with a man?

It was the first time something like this happened since the accident. Not even a single thought about dating passed through his mind since the day he lost his wife.

“Dean’s fine, Mr. Novak,” the man said, giving Castiel’s hand a firm shake.

“Absolutely. Then it’s only fair I’ll be Castiel, not Mr. Novak,” Castiel responded as he let go of Dean’s hand, a faint smile on his lips.

“How about you flirt with my teacher when I’m not around, dad?” Claire’s annoyed voice cut through silence that hung in the room, making Castiel turn his attention to her.

“Claire, it wasn’t flirting, just a common courtesy,” he said, taking a seat next to his daughter, “Will you tell me what happened?” he asked, his voice as gentle as possible.

“Why do you care? I punched a guy in the face, no big deal,” she snorted, crossing her legs.

“Of course I care. And I’m sure you had a reason to do so,” Castiel responded.

“Maybe,” she retorted and Castiel fought the urge to roll his eyes at her. She was so stubborn, he swore it made his life ten times more difficult, “he’s learned his lesson, that’s what I wanted.”

“Claire, I’m sure I’d find a way to punish Jordan if you told me he did or said something that was inappropriate. No need to risk breaking your wrist next time,” Dean added, making Claire look his way. Then, she focused her gaze on her hands, playing with the silver ring on her ring finger, the only piece of jewelry that her mother left behind.

It seemed like she was nervous, that wall she built up all those years was gone, and Castiel was sure she was hiding something from them, but he also knew that she wouldn’t tell them if she didn’t want to.

Soon, that moment of vulnerability was over and she let out, “Fine. If he ends up being an asshole again, I’ll let you know instead of hitting him.”

 

And here Castiel thought he would get through to her.

 

“Great, that’s what I call progress. Would you mind waiting outside? I’d like to talk to your father for a minute,” Dean requested and Claire nodded, getting up from the couch.

 

She swung her bag over her shoulder, took the car keys that Castiel handed her, and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

 

Cas couldn’t help but sigh as she was gone, leaning back on the couch, “I wish I could know what’s going on, I wish she would tell me,” he let out, rubbing his temples.

“Hey, I don’t think it’s your fault, Castiel,” Dean said, getting up from the chair, then he took a seat right next to Castiel, “it seems like you’re doing the best you can, at least from what she told me.”

“She was talking about me?” Castiel asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.

“Yeah, we had to pass the time somehow while we were waiting for you. She’s a good kid, just a bit lost,” he admitted.

“That’s true. I don’t know how to help her, though. After Amelia, her mother and my wife, died in a car accident, she put this shell around herself and she refuses to let anyone in, like she’s afraid someone will hurt her,” Castiel admitted, having no idea why he was confessing anything to Claire’s teacher.

He didn’t know the guy, but he seemed like he would understand what Castiel was going through.

“I’m sorry to hear that. Well, I know something about this. My mother died in a house fire when I was a kid, leaving me and my brother with our father. I shut down, just like her,” Dean said, pausing for a while, then he continued, “but, after some time, I opened up. I’m sure she will, too. You just have to give her time and be consistent,” he added, smiling softly.

“I’m sure it was hard for you. It sounds like a terrible experience, but thank you. I needed to hear that today,” Castiel let out, “sometimes, I think that I’m not good enough for her and I wish that my wife was here. I shouldn’t be telling you all of this, Dean. I’m sorry to bother, I’ll go now,” he wanted to get up, but Dean stopped him by grabbing his arm.

“You’re definitely not a bother and it seems like your daughter is not the only one that needs help. Hope I’m not too forward,” Dean said, scratching the nape of his neck with his hand.

“No, you’re not. It’s just a lot. Work, school, problems with Claire. It’s hard to keep up sometimes,” Castiel admitted.

“I see. I think that someone should keep tabs on your daughter, make sure she’s doing okay in school and pass all the information to you. That might help to get through to her, it would give you a topic you could talk about,” Dean suggested hesitantly.

“Of course, I guess I’ll have to mention it on another parents’ meeting…,” Castiel didn’t have a chance to finish that one, however, as the teacher interrupted him mid-sentence.

“I can do it,” Dean let out quickly.

“No, I don’t want to take up your time. You’ve already helped a lot.”

“It won’t be a problem, I swear. I’ve never done it for anyone yet, but it’ll be only one call per day and I think it could be beneficial to both of you,” Dean said and Castiel felt himself silently agree with the man.

It could help him learn what Claire liked, what she hated, and what she needed help with. It could make it easier for him to initiate a bond between the two of them, a bond that he craved for so long.

“Are you sure it won’t be a problem?” Castiel asked, making Dean nod slowly but surely.

“I’m sure. How about I’ll call you every day from now on, at the end of the day?” he offered, flashing Castiel a smile.

“Sounds perfect. Will 10pm be okay?” Castiel suggested, fiddling with the sleeves of his trenchcoat.

Somehow, making this arrangement made him a bit nervous, even though there was no reason to. It wasn’t anything beyond his comfort zone, only a deal between a nice teacher and a desperate parent of a troubled kid.

No big deal, then why did it feel like agreeing for a date?

“Absolutely. Is your number in the school’s parents system?” Dean asked, getting up from the couch and sitting back in his chair, his hands opening the laptop set on his desk.

“Yes, I think so. I had to give it at the beginning of the year and I haven’t changed it since, so I’m sure it’s still there,” Castiel explained as the teacher kept typing, the sound of his fingers hitting the keyboard being the only one to hear in the room.

“Yes, I got it,” Dean said triumphantly and turned his attention toward Cas.

“Perfect. Now, excuse me, but I have to go. I have a lot of things to do today,” Castiel admitted, getting up from the couch.

“Of course. It was a pleasure to meet you, Castiel,” he confessed, extending his hand toward Castiel.

Castiel took it and shook it slowly, then let go, still feeling the warmth of Dean’s hand on his cold hand.

“Likewise, Dean,” Castiel responded as he turned around and got out of the room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

 

Castiel was surprised to find a text message waiting for him right after he got out of the shower that night.

It was simple, consisting only of, “Hope you had a good day, Castiel. I’ll call you tomorrow at the same time, Dean Winchester,” but made Castiel smile involuntarily, even though it was seemingly nothing. It didn’t feel like nothing, however.

The first phone call was a bit awkward, both of them stumbling over the words, but it brought Castiel a weird sense of comfort. He found out that Claire got an A in biology that day and that she turned in all the assignments.

Castiel was starting to think that maybe agreeing to these call wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

* * *

 

At first, the conversations were very business-like, short and consolidated. Nothing more than hello, any information about Claire, and goodbye. Sometime after the first few calls, though, Castiel found himself slipping more and more personal details into them.

All of it resulted in the conversations getting longer, eventually passing the hour, as they talked about pretty much everything, from Dean’s childhood, to their jobs and all the things that they were too scared to tell anyone else.

They couldn’t help but be completely honest as they didn’t have to stress out, because it was easier to say something on the phone than while looking the other person in the eyes.

* * *

 

Soon, Castiel was looking forward to those calls, to the point that he was sitting on his bed with the phone on his lap at least 30 minutes prior to the usual time that Dean would call him.

* * *

 

After a few months, Castiel got a first text from Dean, expressing excitement as Claire took part in school science competition and won, surprising most of her peers.

That led to Castiel texting Dean, then Dean texting him back and that’s how it went; they were texting back and forth like teenagers for the whole day, the smile on Castiel’s face wider than ever before.

* * *

Dean found his way into Castiel’s schedule, becoming an invisible but important part of his life. Their conversations were the only light Castiel had, except for his brilliant daughter that he managed to start getting along with since Dean agreed to keep him up to date with everything that happened at school.

They began talking over dinner. At first, it was nothing big, only a few sentences being exchanged, but soon it blossomed into long and heartfelt conversations, often ending with both of them watching a movie or just cuddling on the couch.

It was everything Castiel ever wanted.

As much as he hated to admit it, he didn’t need Dean’s updates anymore. To be honest, he began to look forward to them. It was rude, however, to take up the teacher’s time without any reason so he decided to explain the situation over the phone.  
He didn’t want that weird relationship between the two of them to come to an end and he thought that inviting Dean for a coffee would be a good idea. Castiel never felt any attraction to a man before, but Dean was different. He seemed like the only thing that Castiel longed for, now that his relationship with Claire was rebuild.

He just hoped he would have the nerve to ask him out.

* * *

 

“From the first lesson I had with her, I knew she could do better. Glad I was right,” Dean admitted, his voice filled with pride.

“I know, she’s really smart. I’m so happy she began to explore that side of herself,” Castiel said, bracing himself for what he was about to say, “Dean, I need to tell you something.”

“Shoot, man!” Dean responded.

“I’m getting along great with Claire now. She’s more and more honest with me every day and she’s telling me everything that happened in school after each day, it’s great,” Castiel said, taking a deep breath, then continuing, ”that’s why I think I should thank you for all you’ve done for the two of us, because I think I should stop wasting your time.”

A laugh wasn’t something he expected to hear, “Do you really think you were wasting my time? Hell, if I didn’t want to spend all those hours talking to you, I wouldn’t. I wasn’t doing it only for Claire, but for you, too. And then you kind of grew on me, if that makes sense,” Dean admitted, his voice laced with a nervousness Castiel had never heard before, “actually, I was wondering if, maybe, you would like to go and grab a coffee with me someday? Instead of talking on the phone, I mean,” he explained and Castiel couldn’t help but exhale loudly in relief.

“I’d love that, Dean. I wanted to ask you the same thing, to be honest,” he confessed, smiling widely.

“Really? That’s, well, that’s awesome!,” Dean sounded relieved, like he had been afraid Castiel would say no to that request, “Tomorrow’s Saturday. I’m free, so how about we meet at that cafe opposite to the school at, let’s say, 2pm?”

“Of course, it’d be perfect. I can’t wait,” Castiel let out, plopping onto the bed.

“Awesome. Good night, Cas,” Dean said, making a frown appear on Castiel’s face. No one ever called him Cas, but he had to say it had a nice ring to it.

“Cas? I like it,” Castiel wondered, a bit curious.

“You know, Castiel is a bit of a mouthful and this one just makes life easier,” Dean joked and Castiel couldn’t help but smile.

“You’re right. See you tomorrow, then?” Castiel wondered.

“Of course. See you tomorrow, Cas,” Dean responded and he hung up, leaving Cas free to dream about the following day.


End file.
